I've been to more than a dozen countries but I've never been to "America". This 2016, I really hope I can finally cross it from my #travelgoals so here I am, sharing my insightful experience as a tourism advocate and marketer in order to come up with a creative slogan for my next workcation destination. Finger-crossed!

Blogapalooza in partnership with Marianas Visitors Authority is celebrating its 5th year anniversary with this super exciting getaway and I can't stop myself from taking this shot to finally Get Wonderfully Lost in the Northern Marianas Islands.

It will be like living my own secret American dream and escape in paradise... Iyon tipong mapapa "OH MY MARIANAS!!!" talaga ako sa sobrang saya because finally, I'll have #MySecretEscapeToParadise after a break-up.

TAAP IDEA: Just the "OH MY!" expression is very organic and feels natural. If you combine it with "MY MARIANAS", it leads our imagination to anticipate with excitement what we can see or experience in these islands which can trigger us to take action.

Writing this post, I'm not only wearing my traveller hat but also my marketing thinkhat. Whenever I think of a campaign, I start by playing with words based on relevant meaning I want to associate with it especially when it comes to engaging tourism campaign like what I did for Date in Daetwhen I first started this sole searching soul blog.

Oh is that the Bird island? Oh My Marianas!Did you know that there are atleast 103 bird species found in Northern Marianas Islands which attracts many bird enthusiasts and tourists.

OH MY MARIANAS! is inspired by the daily expression "Oh my!", the word "oh" which sounds like "awe" (to be completely amazed after experiencing this secret paradise in the Pacific) and the fact that MVA have already invested and used "My Marianas" in their branding.

While some people may question its "creativity" or "originality", I can confidently say that this OH MY MARIANAS! TAAP idea is backed by my insightful experience and I believe it has the potential to become a full viral campaign given the right execution.

Applying the principles I've recently adapted from Neuroscience and it's effect in branding and advertising, I can say that this TAAP concept has a big potential based on following 5 insights:
​1. We're interrupting the "OMG" pattern as a daily expression by giving it a new breath of life and storyline. We make common uncommon. 2. Shift in feelings means unlimited creative execution! Can you imagine someone saying "Oh My Marianas!" in different mood? Someone shouting Oh My Marianas! before going for a cliff dive? How about children chanting Oh My Marianas! while playing in the beach? Or a couple on a honeymoon who looked so inlove with each who looked so charmed by the postcard perfect scenery and can't helped but lovingly whisper "Oh My Marianas!"

3. More than just being a tourism slogan, it is actually a battle cry, an expression that is "ownable by people". Imagine how residents can proudly declare "Oh My Marianas!" when they share its beauty to visitors and tourists who will find themselves saying "Oh My Marianas!" every single time because they've been mesmerized!4. It's empowering! We give everyone that sense of pride and ownership, especially Filipinos who loves to travel outside the Philippines... Pride that they've been to "America" and have that paradise experience just 4 hours away from comforts of our home... And best of all, anyone can create their own OH MY MARIANAS! meme to share their discoveries and experiences.

5. Simple. Easy to Remember. And for me, it's really catchy! Okay, I'm really biased here but that's the thing with our brain and advertising. Sometimes, we just don't have to overthink and go for what's natural...

Now, I do hope that the Marianas Visitors Authority will seriously consider thisOH MY MARIANAS!concept and who knows, tap me to discover and experience their best kept secrets! I'll be very much willing stay in their islands while documenting and sharing Oh My Marianas moments to the rest of the world! Northern Marianas Islands, you're in my workcation dream destination!

DID YOU KNOW that in 1914, to keep the peace in Asia during the war, Japan took possession of the islands under a secret agreement with the British?! Today, it is considered as “America’s best kept secret” and the perfect getaway for visitors from East and West!

NOT ALL WHO WONDER ARE LOST.
SOME JUST WANT TO ESCAPE TO PARADISE.As someone who likes to wonder while wandering, I really think that sometimes, someone just need an escape so they go the road less travelled and go off grid. We keep our coordinates for ourselves and keep it a secret especially if we unexpectedly found ourselves in paradise.

Now, this #MySecretEscapeToParadisecan actually complement #GetWonderfullyLost. I noticed that the common words used in different write-ups about Northern Marianas Islands where Secret, Paradise, and Escape so I played with it came up with Secret Escape to Paradise as my first suggestion for the slogan before I eventually thought that kiss it goodbye.

Let's keep it short and simple but insightful --- OH MY MARIANAS!

Sun-kissed and rejuvinated, people will definitely be asking "Where she have been?" Well, that's a secret I'll always tell and whisper Oh My Marianas!

OH MY MARIANAS!!! BUCKET LIST

Imagine yourself up in the air, enjoying the cool breeze and looking at the vast pacific from a different perspective?! I bet you'll be screaming OH MY MARIANAS!!! out of bliss!
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​I love flying and to be honest, Parasailing is one of the top items in my adventure bucket list together with SkyDiving! I remember last year, when I was in Boracay, I was really tempted to do it but I was alone so I just told myself that it will be fun to do it somewhere sometime with someone! So who knows, it might finally happen this year?

Cheesiness aside, I just really love the feeling of flying, that moment of being airborne and free! It's been years since the last time I was up in the air overlooking the vast sea when I was invited to try Paragliding in Daet.

Ohh who wouldn't love gazing at these diamonds in the sky?! Now imagine me saying OH MY MARIANAS! in a sweet dreamy voice... As a hopeless romantic and believer in wishing upon the stars, I'd like to spend a night of solitude while attracting the positive energy of the universe!

Oh My Marianas with Tres Marias?!Why not! For sure my sister Allaine, cousin Joanna Mae and bestfriend Doreen would like to get wonderfully lost in Northern Marianas Islands and enjoy these activities in my bucket list too.

I honestly felt that I've been through a lot this year so lately I've also been thinking about the idea of climbing a mountain for a soul searching exercise so going on a Hiking adventure in Northern Marianas would be a perfect reminder, (Oh My Marianas!) that no matter what happens, I should continue my TAAP journey, conquer the summit and never give up on my big dreams!

Oh My Marianas! Oh yes, oh yes! I'm ready to go! It feels like #MyMarianasPH knows what I'm feeling right now. I really love the video below which they shared on their Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/MyMarianasPH). I am already imagining myself doing my own Sole Searching Soul music video while enjoying this special sanctuary in Pacific!

Can't stop humming while writing this post...I'm ready to go! I'm ready to go!
I'm ready to run through the heat of the sun. I'm ready to fly, uncover the light. Impossible heights... Elevate my soul above. Said you'd always be my white blood. Circulate the right love. :-)

It's not easy but sometimes we just have to pick ourselves from the ground and start over again... In my case, I'll be always thankful for the lessons in life and in love despite what happened. When I prayed earlier, I told God that I may not fully understand the situation and have a concrete reason for everything but I trust His promise that His perfect time, I'll be fine.

Today, I was browsing my draft when I saw this piece which I felt is very appropriate for what I promised myself to do --- starting over again, starting today...

I remember watching the romantic drama movie "Starting Over Again" sometime in 2014 and I wrote some notes while crying inside the cinema which I never get to publish so now that I'm in a moving on phase, I think it's timely that I share what I've learned from that chick flick. May this also serve as a reminder to everyone who's restarting their life after a failed relationship.

8 Lessons from Starting Over Again​1. Chances and Encounters. There are moments in our lives that we keep asking a lot of WHYs? It could be fate or destiny. I guess in love, sometimes we just have to stop looking for answer and accept whatever happened. ​2. Communicate and express your fears to your partner.

3. You make painful decisions.

4. Don't wait for _________ (I honestly forgot what I was supposed to write here so I think I'll just watch the movie again and update this post.)

5. Starting over again sometimes doesn't mean the two of you will be back together.Starting over again means you have to be on your own, he needs to be on his own and both of you are starting over again in different direction.

6. You must forgive yourself and forgive the other person.

7. How do I unlove you? Now this was the tricky question in the movie. We have different coping mechanisms but I like the way the movie gave an answer to this question...I can totally relate to this line saying that "Sometimes you don't really stop loving a person. You just learn how to love him/her in a different way."

8. Time heals everything. You need time to forgive yourself. You need time to grow.

Whatever starting over again means to you,I hope you learn to love with no fear.

Lately I found myself checking On This Day feature of Facebook almost everyday. I surely miss the old days and somehow my old posts help me appreciate my journey especially when I'm feeling down. It also reminds me of some lessons that I feel I need to apply in my life now.

I screenshot one of the statuses I posted 2 years ago which I feel is very appropriate reminder for me this year...

Do you agree that TIME is far more greater force than LOVE?

I can't remember what specific movie I watched which made me cry and prompted me to write that status but whatever it was, it definitely taught me how essential time is in any relationship.

When I read it again, I was also reminded by this beautiful short story about Love and Time. I first read in one of our training material as a peer counselor when I was in university. I'm sharing it here so that you may also understand how crucial time is in understanding love and relationship. I hope you find it useful in your own journey!

Once a upon a time...

In an island there lived all the feelings and emotions : Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love.

One day it was announced to them that the island would sink and they need to evacuate! Everyone constructed their boats and left except for Love.

Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.

When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a boat. Love said,"Richness, can you take me with you?"Richness answered, "Sorry Love, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat and so there is no place here for you."

Love next asked Vanity who was also sailing by. Vanity was also ready with the same answer."I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, take me along with you.""Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!", sadness said in a sullen voice.

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so preoccupied with her happiness that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you."It was an elder. An overjoyed Love jumped up into the boat and in the process forgot to ask where they were going. When they arrived at a dry land, the elder went her own way.

Realizing how much was owed to the elder, Love asked Knowledge another elder, "Who Helped me?"

"It was Time," Knowledge answered.

"Time?" thought Love. Then, as if reading the face of Love, Knowledge smiled and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is."

A major part of my Sole Searching Soul journey for the past 2 years involved a lot of speaking engagements in different parts of the Philippines. It's one of the best things I love about this journey, meeting of minds and sharing of pratical lessons from my volunteer and professional experiences.

This year, I'm delighted to share this good news ---- #SSStalk is levelling up! Yes, I'm one of the invited resource persons for ASEAN Student Forum 2016 happening this weekend at Perak, Malaysia.

ASEAN STUDENT FORUM is a two-day international forum for students from ASEAN Universities and Colleges which aims to foster integration and cooperation in student level to address local issues faced by the youth in the implementation of One ASEAN Community. I'm honoured to be part of this event because it's very close to my advocacy --- to foster friendship and collaborations among Southeast Asians in grassroot level. I mean, we don't have to wait for our government to connect us to our brothers and sisters...

On our part, we must be contributing to realization of this ONE ASEAN dream. I'm delighted that Universiti Teknologi Petronas took the initiative by organizing the ASEAN Student Forum 2016 which will be held this weekend, July 15-17,2016.

As a resource person, I'll be delivering a keynote as well as facilitate two of the thematic talks and discussions on two topics I'm also passionate about. I'm really grateful for this opportunity to be able to share my experience and knowledge with like-minded youth and advocates. For sure I'll also learn from them as they present their proposals that addresses the issues of ASEAN youth.

MEET MY FELLOW SPEAKERS for UTP ASEAN Student Forum 2016

My fellow speakers are from Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia.

Aside from Kendrick whom I already met last March during the Malaysia Social Media Week 2016 held at Limkokwing University, I'm looking forward personally meeting my fellow speakers too.

By the way, congratulations to Universiti Teknologi Petronasfor being one of the Top 10 Universities in Malaysia!​ I'm excited to visit your campus and meet everyone this weekend.

How do you keep yourself motivated in sticking to your #Fat2Fit journey?! Challenge your friends too do the same and think of a reward you both will look forward to!

Yes, we're going to bring the sexy back! And what's the better way to do it than to challenge one of my best buddies, Doreen of GETS Travel.

To celebrate the 7th year of our friendship, Doreen and I agreed on a challenge --- that is to wear two-piece swimsuit on our next island getaway!

Coron, Palawan [ June 2015 ]

I first met Doreen when I organized special events for Havaianas and we later became the "twins" when I started working at (Bellefleur) Compagnie de Catalina in 2009. That's where our friendship also started and we've managed to stay connected even after we moved out and worked for other companies. Even before she started her travel agency business, we have already travelled together to different places though I must admit that our friendship was strengthened by the fact the we both love to travel and explore.

I can't really count the adventures and challenges we've conquered together but this swimsuit challenge is one of the things I look forward too before this year ends. We're gonna slay this one! 🙅🏻

I THANK GOD for all my supportive friends! My Singaporean friend Puspa, whom I first met in 2010, gave me several swimsuits when I visited her a week ago in SG. This morning, I tried to fit some of it. I never had courage to wear two-piece in public so now that I'm into my fitness journey, I might just do it. 😘

They say that we must always watch out for the people who talk behind our back. Well, we can't really stop them from wasting their time gossiping so just let them be. We cannot really please everybody so just keep calm and continue to be happy!

Ohh by the way, make sure you live the life you've always wanted and stay #BeYOUtiful so that they have something worthwhile to talk about you. 😂

When was the last time you talked to yourself?

On a more serious note, it's not really about what people are telling you but for me it's actually more about what you're telling yourself. Sometimes you tend to listen to your inner monster and let it overpower you. Most of us lose our confidence because we let that inner voice poison our thoughts and let it talk us out of our dreams and hopes.

Next time you have all those negativity in your head, face the mirror and start affirming yourself. At first you might find it difficult to tell yourself all the good traits you have but don't give up. Just keep staring at yourself and start remembering what makes you happy... think about the people, events and feel good memories you to make you smile. Then you may try to talk to youself now as if you're talking to a friend. Tell that image in the mirror what you truly feel... You might not have all the right words to say but it's perfectly okay. As you acknowledge your weaknesses, you should also never forget to affirm your strengths.

Practicing #SSSelfTalk regularly is helpful and healthy.How do I know it works?! I've been doing it since childhood.

Have you ever had that feeling of being stuck in a corner while the whole world moves very fast right infront of your eyes?!Everybody seems to so busy and always hurrying to be somewhere...

Well, you're not alone. It's one of the most uncomfortable feelings I know, I know and sometimes you can't help but ask yourself why... "Why I am just here?!" "Why I'm still here?​"

Well, don't panic. Find comfort in stillness.. Be still, knowing that you too will have your own time to get going...

You just have to use that period of waiting to grow and know more about yourself. Just because you're just in one place doesn't mean you'll be there forever. You never know, maybe others are just wandering mindlessly while you are there, in a little corner, patiently working on yourself and preparing for your right time to make the right move.

Ladies, in life and in love, it's perfectly okay to wait... Don't be afraid to wait.Find comfort in the Sacrament of Waiting.Be patient with yourself. Be patient with the world.

I was browsing my Facebook when I saw this video posted by Rhea, one of my college friends. We're also batchmates under Media Studies Department and way back in the university, we always request her to sing for us because of her very good voice! I really admire her talent in singing plus she's also gifted in creating original music. During our theater play, she even composed our original song "Ambisyosa" which was a first in the history of our department.

It's been awhile since the last time I heard her sing and this song perfectly captures what I'm feeling right now. Yes, we've all been through roadblocks and delays but just like the message of her song, it's time for us to wake-up from dreaming and start flying to achieve all those sky high dreams. Everything is possible, just have more faith and believe that God's blessings are on its way to lift you higher! Tara, lumipad na tayo!!!

Maraming Salamat Rhea for sharing your talent to the world. May this original song uplift other souls too!

UPCOMING EVENTS

﻿Hi, I'mApple Allison

I'm a passionate traveler, volunteer and peer counselor who believes in the concept of workcation. I apply Fun in almost everything I do so expect blissful moments when we got the chance to meet and travel.